The End
by Zam the hedgehog
Summary: Nine long years have passed since The Protectors were born, but nothing lasts forever. Torn apart in ways unfixable, it is the perfect time for him to strike. Will the years of torn friendship allow him victory, or will they protect once more?


Their surroundings shook like paper, but held together. Thor was impressed that such a small ship could hold up against the might of those blasts, but he didn't want to wait and find out how long. Even now, he could see smaller vessels approaching from the warship, no doubt armed to the teeth with soldiers. He would be among the many Asgardians that fought to their last breath, all to protect the pods that escaped carrying women and children. Hid people were all smiling and proud, knowing their king was there to fight beside him. Well, their king and his powerful allies.

"You just had to jinx us, didn't you?" Moana of Motunui balanced a portion of the ocean around her like a halo of protection. Her unhappy gaze settled into Thor, even though he wasn't facing her.

"What?" He pretended to sound confused. "I know nothing of what you speak of."

"Just minutes ago, you said," Wonder Woman hilted her sword and tried to look stoic and wise, mocking his appearance. "Everything is going to work out just fine!" She smirked at him after, arms crossed. "That is the last thing you say when things are going good. Everyone knows this."

"Maui? Heimdall? No talk back from you, old friends?"

Maui scoffed as he leaned on his giant hook. He cast a knowing look to the All-viewer, and laughed heartily. "Pfft. How do ya like that? Leave it to Thor to try and drag us into this mess, huh?"

Heimdall smirked right back, sword balanced in his hands. "Truly, his friendship knows no bounds."

Thor opened his mouth to make a witty comeback when a familar voice called for him. Loki,with Diana's mother in tow, politely shoved his way past the armies they had ready to fight, and slowed to a halt before his brother. Thor remembered when they were at each other's throats before this, both destined to kill each other. Now here they were, united once again before a common threat. "The first of their ships have arrived. The women and children are safely on their way."

Thor nodded. "Korg with them?"

"Yes. Although...Valkyrie insisted on staying. " Loki nodded as a woman waved from far ahead in the front, recognizable by her white clothing. The god of mischief rolled his eyes. "She's as stubborn as you."

"That's why I like her more than you!"

"Ha Ha."

A series of electronic whirs suddenly filled the air, and everyone tensed as the bay doors slowly opened on their own. Thor stepped past Loki with a grim frown, eyes slight with electricity and energy far greater than Odin's. He raised his fist with the sound of clapping thunder in the air.

The Asgardians,The Amazons and his allies, rushed into battle.

* * *

The smell of the ocean over East River was overpowering to Barbara, even from the sky at least a hundred feet above it. Sea salt sprayed at her leathery wings, and she gripped the edges of the cape tighter so that there was no chance of them slipping out of her grip. Her temporary flight aid wouldn't suffer from the sea; the vibrators at her hips were waterproof and kept her up like a helicopter...or an actual bat for that matter.

Speaking of Helicopters, one belonging to the NYPD kept an even pace at her side, an ally in the sky to say the least. Batgirl glanced at the pilot, Harvey Bullock, and then at the fireball of yellow that kept to her opposite side. Liz Allen was the last person she expected to be flying so well given the fear of heights she'd told Barbara about. But some practice as Firestar made her fears a little less real, less potent. A smaller vibration pulled Barbara's attention, and she glanced down at her waist. Sure enough, her phone was doing the shaking.

"Crap. Liz," Batgirl gestured to the phone. "Grab that and put it on speaker."

"You expecting someone?" Liz asked rhetorically, smirking as she did as asked and tapped the green button on screen. Her smirk grew wider. "Shoulda known. It's Parker."

"Pete? You're taking way too long to get over here." Barbara started with a stern tone. " We're going to start without you.'

A warm voice replied on the other end. "College Essays wait for no man, Babs."

"Oh yeah, well this is a prison breakout," Barbara looked at The Raft in the distance and noted the several components burning in flames. Rubble was leaking into the ocean like oil and turning the turqouise sea a strange black. Hopefully only half of the prison was out, and New York wouldn't have to worry about eight stories of supervillains invading it. "Which means men, not man. So I would appreciate it if you could hurry up."

"Okay, Okay. I'm coming now. Made my last sentence." The voice offered, and she could just hear the grin behind it. "Hopefully I can fly like you with...webs or something. Love you."

"Love you too." Barbara smiled.

* * *

Space.

It hung in the infinite reaches of time and took up the universe with its entirely black body. Nothing could move it from where it stood in front of him, and he would have it no other way. Space was like many and all things in the universe, perfect with only small blemishes. Nothing was without a flaw and even had a few to admit. But the universe, in all its splendor and brilliance, had one fatal flaw that none of its inhabitants wanted to admit. The one thing that he feared next to failing his destiny.

Life.

Unchecked, unbound.

But he understood the universe's mistake; he knew the troubles of controlling itself. The universe, dying from within, called out for a hero to save it from itself. And he answered it, gladly taking the heavy toll on his shoulders and moving forward. Life itself tried to cripple him by taking down his subordinates; supposedly killing his own brother Darkseid as one casualty. But he would not die without solving this problem. He could not. He would not.

"Great Titan, Glorious father! "

He turned in his seat, eyes surveying his preparations. Armies of six armed beasts, black as night, commanded the Sanctuary easily. They charged and primed the weapons with snarls and growls amongst themselves, pleased to devoting their lives to a greater cause. He spotted a group tending to the cage holding his newest acquisition. The beast, more than twice the size of their pet Godzilla, slept with growling snores from all three heads and its golden form glistened in the dark light. Finally, his eyes settled on the speaker, one of his Children.

"The surviving Asgardians," Ebony Maw croaked with praise in his voice. "Have been found. We, your loyal children, only await your command to end their meaningless lives."

He looked at the rest of his children, each bowing in respect and clutching their weapons in excitement. Some he had known from the day he whisked them away from conquered worlds, and others he had collected from Apokolips in Darkseid's absence. He grimly frowned upon The Maw. "End half. "

"Half, my great one?"

"Yes." He stood from the throne and walked down from it with a thin line shaping his lips. "We will not attack the escape pods because they will only be able to carry half of who's left. We will save who remains."

"Truly, they are blessed." Ebony cooed aloud.

Lashina, one of the daughters of Darkseid, raised her gaze slightly but respectfully. "Uncle, if Loki has survived the destruction of Asgard...Will he hold the Tesseract?"

To that, the mad titan looked out at the oblivion of space once more, this time to behold a ship significantly smaller than his. It flickered in the dark as round after round hit the little ship and threatened to tear it apart. Pods escaped from it, like tiny flies and blasted off into space.

"Yes," Thanos replied.

Beatrice was one of the quietest babies Elsa had ever had the privilege of caring for. The only times she ever cried was when she hurt, or when something needed changing. There were only hand motions for the...simple things; squeezed fists for a toy, gurgled noises for food. It could be a sign of hyper intelligence in her month old daughter, but one couldn't be sure, could they? If she was that smart at such a young age, then Elsa was happy all the same.

The Queen of Arendelle, aged 28 a few months ago, responded to a simple demand when she noticed Beatrice's tiny hands shut; soon her favorite toy snowman was clutched tightly. Elsa went back to her work in the mirror, tidying up her features for the UN meeting in fifteen minutes. Of all the meetings and arrangements she went to, she despised of the UN meetings the most. Ever since General Ross had taken up a position there following the famously dubbed 'Civil War', he'd never taken his eyes off of her. He watched her every move at these meetings, waited through any sentence she offered. He was just begging for her to slip up, to slip Arendelle out of the neutrality agreement from the Accords. To slip up and show evidence of the war criminal she'd been harboring from time to time.

Her Husband.

War criminal.

After all he'd done to save the world numerous times, and he was treated this way for doing what he believed was right.

Elsa paused to stare at Beatrice from the mirror, who played without any care of the danger she could be in. Because she would be in danger if they knew of him being here, and his ties to the child. Even he didn't know about her existing...and she planned to keep it that way. For just a little longer, if she could bare it.

A knock at the door startled both Mother and Daughter, but neither made a sound. The door opened to reveal a younger woman of similar features to Elsa, with alabaster skin and less freckles. Her hair was short, styled as such and black as night. Eval always had a certain look about her. "Hey." She muttered, clearly not eager to be a part of the meeting. Her eyes lit up ever so slightly as Beatrice squeaked at her. "Anna's acting like she's going to die if you don't hurry up. I don't know why she's in such a hurry to get there."

Elsa formed a straight line with her lips. "Hmm. She's just trying to get this over as quick as possible." She glanced at her comb and picked it up. "I'll be only a moment. Is Anna on her way for Beatrice?"

"Yes. At least someone will have good company today." Eval murmured and softly smiled at the blubbering infant.

* * *

Kylo Ren would never admit to feeling anything when he walked amongst the remains of the Black Order's assault. Behind his mask, his eyes roamed over the sea of unmoving bodies, torn with jagged holes or burned into the icy grip of death. He tried not feel anything for the perished souls, as that fool Snoke had trained him to do. He would only let anger squander any pity that tried to rise up, but it took a great deal of strength to summon even that. Bodies were piled everywhere, and none were without blood. His eyes trailed towards the crackling saber he held, which voiced its sizzling urge to kill more. To end the lives of more. But it was over and done now. Nothing left now.

They won within minutes, against members of the so called "Protectors" that had the strength to fight back invasions and mystic demons. All it took was five precious minutes to turn earth's finest warriors into cowering victims.

Kylo observed The whimpering Valkyrie of Asgard, pinned to the ground by Leshina's excruciating whips that impaled one of her shoulders. He glanced at the sadistic of grin of the Fury when she heard the subtle cries she coaxed out of the warrior, but turned away. He stared at the Amazon princess, who found herself trying to console the young girl from an earth kingdom, weeping over the deceased body of a supposed demigod. Maui, a hero to all, or so they called him. Kylo recalled that, even when compared to Thor and Wonder Woman, he had been very difficult to handle when they had first arrived on the ship. He and Thor engaged in a fierce battle with the Black Order and fought with fierce fervor alongside Wonder Woman. Blades clashed, skin cut and blood sprayed the air. But they dropped like flies as they tired; Wonder Woman stabbed beneath the ribs by Proxima, Thor tossed by the great titan and Maui...soon overwhelmed. Beaten heavily. Impaled by the likes of Corvus' unbreakable glaive. Mourned by this...Moana.

Kylo was the one to have found Loki, trying to slip in and out amongst the chaos. The sith lord quickly coaxed him back into the view of Thanos with his saber and that's how things got to where they were now. He stood with the order in a semicircle around a guilty god of mischief and waited silently. The former lackey of Thanos dared not to move, but his eyes did roam everywhere but The Mad Titan. Thanos stood at the window of this small vessel, hand clutching at the head of a weakened Thor, sighing softly.

Ebony Maw cleared his throat, spent after proclaiming to the corpses around them that they were blessed and should rejoice. "Great Father...We give you: Loki."

For a while, silence reigned supreme over the ship. The great warlord nodded to no one. "...Loss is a funny thing."

Kylo tilted his head, curious. Thanos stayed where he was, but his head turned half way. "I know what it feels like, to lose your moral leverage on others...To feel so desperately that you're right, only to be wrong all the same. To fail again, and again. It takes you suddenly," He stomped his way around and marched forward towards Loki. "Turns the legs to jelly. You wish to be far from it, but to what end? You dread it...you run from it..."

Thanos stopped eight feet from Loki with a dark gaze settled upon him. "Destiny still arrives. It's here now, in this ship... " He smirked down at his golden glove, set with a glow of purple on the far left knuckle. He raised his fist and examined the glow with intense power lust. "Or should I say...I am."

Thor coughed up blood and a tooth beneath him. "...Y-you talk too much you know. "

Thanos rolled his eyes, but offered a simple nod too. "You make a good point, King of Asgard. My words fall on the ears of those who will soon be dead." He looked up to Loki, and began to explain his simple terms. "There are always choices in life, Asgardian. They define our future, and how we live with ourselves...The Tesseract, or your brother's head? Which will you choose, assuming you have a...preference?"

Loki straightened himself and smiled darkly in the direction of The Titan. "Oh I do." The gaze lowered to his own kin. "Kill, please."

Kylo's brow furrowed beneath the mask. Was he bluffing, or he was being truthful? All evidence pointed to the two having reconciled before they were attacked, but this...hinted that it had been a ploy. Kylo watched with a stoic expression now, wondering what new alternative Thanos had in mind for getting his prize.

Only, he didn't have a new plan. He pressed the purple glow of the gauntlet to Thor's head and slowly closed his hand. Energy from the power stone coursed through Thor's brain, and the asgardian noticeably winced although he held his voice. Kylo bristled as the glow grew brighter and brighter, forcing a particularly pained scream from Thor. His one eye shut itself tightly, and blood seeped from his nose in seconds.

"Alright, Stop!"

Thanos did as Loki asked, silently grinning at his bluff. Kylo's gaze slid from the nervous god of mischief to the princess of the Amazons when she looked up from Maui's corpse. "You have all slain for nothing…" She laughed, coughed and retained a grin. "The tesseract is gone. Dead, with Asgard."

Thanos looked down upon Loki and smirked wide. Loki, in turn, swallowed and unveiled a glowing object with a slow twist of his hand. To the dismay of some and the joy of most, a blue cube sat in his fingertips. It's otherworldly glow illuminated the darkened ship like it's own sun. Thor's one eye sparkled with disbelief. "You...You really are the worst brother ever."

"This is not the end for us brother. There is sunshine to come,"

Kylo made a sound of amusement, but it came as a scoff through his mask. Truly, it was amusing. "Sunshine? Your people are dead, your protectors are defeated and that one lies dead," He pointed at the demigod. "What causes your displaced optimism, Asgardian?"

Loki sneered at him. "Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian." He pretended to study the cube. "And for another...we still have a Hulk."

An explosion of a roar startled Thanos, who had little time to react before a dark green fist punched him hard enough to launch him twenty feet sideways. A backhand resulted in Kylo being tossed back even farther, while the Hulk's rampage went unrestrained. The fifteen-foot behemoth barreled forward and knocked Cull into Maw with ease. As the two of them recovered, he tried to swat at Proxima and failed as she danced beneath his fists. With a roar of fury, Wonder Woman tackled Proxima to the ground and managed to secure her in a choke hold. Hulk snorted at them and turned to-

"Grah!" A painful stab signaled the attack of Corvus and his glaive, which impaled the Hulk through his stomach. Hulk grunted and yanked the glaive out without any trouble. A flicker of gold made the green giant rush forward and deliver an onslaught of punches and jabs to the head of Thanos. The mad titan could not move fast enough to protect himself from the blows that came fast as bullets and hard as hammers. It was not long before he was shoved into the wall of the ship and pushed firmly into the side. The wall caved in like clay, making Thanos sink into it thanks to the force of the Hulk.

Wonder Woman tightened her grip on Proxima's neck and grinned a bloody smile. "Your leader is as good as dead, warrior. You may as well surrender."

Cull Obsidian moved to intervene in the larger battle, but The Maw waved his fingers to stop him. When Kylo Ren gave him a quizzical look, he merely stated: "It has been ages since he last had his fun."

Hulk snorted as two purple hands gripped at his wrists and pushed. His allies watched with muted horror, eyes growing wide. The Hulk's arms were easily forced up and off by Thanos, who wore an unimpressed look with his green equal. Hulk fixed him with a confused stare, leaving him open to a ferocious punch to the nose.

Thanos followed his attack with a jump and kick to the skull, then s barrage of swift jabs that far outmatched the Hulk's. Try as he might, the green giant couldn't even dodge the attacks of Thanos and feebly tried to swing at him with both fists. The mad titan first whirled around to punch at his spine, then he easily flipped him headfirst into the metal floor. The Hulk went limp.

Diana watched the events unfold with disbelief, arms loosening. "...No. This can't be-"

Wonder Woman knew her mistake but was too late to act upon it. Proxima launched a fist into Diana's nose and broke it with a sickening crunch. The alien woman was easily able to break out of the distracted princess' grip and slash out with a hidden Dagger. Then there was red.

Hippolyta's breath caught in her lungs, ceasing her struggles to get out from under the debris. Her wide eyes filled with tears and shock. Moana shrieked and Thor yelled in rage.

Wonder Woman gagged, hands instantly rushing to her gushing, torn open throat. The blood made it slick and difficult to get a grip; to hang on to her swiftly dwindling life. She gasped for air and all she received was a swift kick from a grinning Proxima, forced to the ground to by the blow. Wheezing, she reached for anyone to save her and received the frightened embrace of her mother.

"Diana," Hippolyta whimpered and caressed her daughter's head. The cut to her throat was dangerously deep and the blood wouldn't stop. When her little sun and stars choked on a bloody sob, Hippolyta hushed her. "Shh, shhh. I am here. I'm here."

A furious Thor started to rush towards Thanos with fists full of lightning, but the Maw was quick to intercept by using his force abilities to throw him back. In seconds, bits of metal debris trapped his body and kept him from being able to move in the slightest. The same energy levitated the Tesseract from its fallen place on the floor, wafting into the air before Thanos. "The Tesseract, Lord Thanos...None have had the will...Nay, the might, to wield two infinity stones."

Thanos held the glowing cube with a pleased expression, settled in the center of his palm. As he slowly closed his fingers around it in a vice grip, Heimdall groaned from the floor. He glanced at the metal debris impaling his shoulder and sighed.

"Allfathers before…" He tilted the blade of his sword to an empty part of the ship. "Let...the dark magic flow through me...One...Last...time."

In seconds, his newfound strength created a giant portal via the Bifrost. He extended the energy to grasp at Moana, then at The Hulk and Valkyrie. The bodies floated swiftly through the air, much to the surprise of the children of Thanos, and soon their victims were through the portal. In the process of healing Diana's wounded throat, she looked up in time to witness the great purple giant stomping over to Heimdall with a slow pace. His body rippled with nothing but contempt for the Asgardian, who looked peaceful having done his deed.

"You sent them back, so they could warn earth." He raised his gauntlet, palm outstretched to Heimdall. Blue energy coursed beneath him. "That was the stupidest thing you could have done."

Then Heimdall was gone.

His body disappeared into a blue portal beneath him and then it closed up. Thor, wrestling against his bonds, watched the event unfold with muted anger. He strained against the metal once more. "Where is he? Where is he, you swine?!"

"Burning in the heat of the nearest sun, if my projections are correct." Thanos shrugged, wishing he could see the being writhing as he turned to ash. Ignoring Thor's curses, Thanos turned to his children with his arms crossed behind his back. "There are four more stones to be found, my children. Divide yourselves and go for the stones on earth. I shall handle the other two."

"If I may, " Behind Kylo Ren, Loki had his hands behind his back, looking hopeful with the situation. "If your children are going to go to earth…You'll need a guide. And lucky for you, I have tons of experience with the planet."

"You call failure experience?" Maw sneered.

"No, I call experience experience." Loki turned his gaze to Thanos, masking the odd green glow behind his back. Thor froze in horror as a second Loki crept up from a dark shaft behind Thanos, seemingly unnoticed. In his hands he held knives and on his face, a look of sorrow of Thor. Despite his whispered protests, Loki ignored Thor. "Thanos, I offer myself. The god of mischief, the rightful heir of Jotunheim and the son of Odin."

The Loki in front bowed his head. "I pledge my undying allegiance to YOU!"

The Loki behind Thanos hopped into the air with both knives thrown at his head. As he illusion disappeared, the weapons sailed forward and...stopped.

Loki struggled as blue energy stopped him in mid leap. He struggled more as Thanos turned around to face him, wearing an unemotional expression. His fist glowed blue. "Undying. You have a very...ironic vocabulary Asgardian." His other fist shot up, closing around Loki's neck and squeezing hard. Loki dangled from his choking grasp, trying in vain to free himself.

"Stop. Please stop." A defeated Thor whispered from his shackled area, struggling harder as Loki thrashed. The god of mischief was being strangled to death-his brother was dying. "Let go of him! Please!"

The grip tightened, but Loki managed to cough out. "...Yo..will never win." When Thanos only smirked at him, squeezing even harder than before, Loki Managed To grin at his crying brother. "...A...Avenge...me…"

Pop.

Loki went limp.

Thor and Hippolyta went rigid as his lifeless was body was cast at the former's knees. Loki stared at nothing, his skin reverting back to the normal blue it usually was and his dead eyes turned red. The god of thunder found himself free from his bindings, and in an instant he was hugging him tightly. Loki did not hug back.

"Do not weep for him, Thor. He is saved from a fate much worse than death," Thanos drew his attention back to him, before raising his fist and creating a portal behind himself and his children. He sighed in relief as the portal closed around them. "You will all be saved."

Purple energy sparked out just before Thanos disappeared, and it destroyed whatever held the ship together. As their surroundings imploded around them, Thor gave a mourning look to the mother of Wonder Woman. "You...you won't survive this," He said with sorrow.

Hippolyta stared at the only thing that mattered in the ship. "I don't matter in this...She does. The Daughter Of Zeus will rise again. My daughter will survive this." She raised her gaze to Thor and sniffled. "Tell her...I love you, my little sun and stars."

An explosion surrounded every body on board, but Thor gave her a tearful jod before darkness claims them.


End file.
